Dysarthria

[goobergrl6]

Does anyone else have a DC with this? When DS had his speech evaluation she said this would be the primary DX and said it was basically weak muscles in his mouth. Ok fine, no biggie we can get speech therapy to help that. So I get home and of course start to google....yeah we all know how that goes LOL. So basically everything I am reading (and what a friend of my step-mom told her) says it is from a neurological problem. Either a brain injury or something in his brain did not develop correctly. Ummm yeah thanks for leaving that part out lady! ANYWAY of course we want to get him looked at. A MRI or something to take a look and his brain and see what is going on. Could there be something wrong with his brain that is causing the speech problems and some of the other problems we have with him? I sent her off an e-mail (she said that was the best way to reach her) and I am waiting to hear back from her on how we can move on to the next step but I am not sure when she will get back to me. I am just wondering if anyone else has been through this and what they found out.

[AuntLavender]

My 6yr 10mo ds has Apraxia and Dysarthria

It's neurological but that it just how you describe why he can't talk clearly. His brain isn't sending messages to the muscles in his mouth like you or me so it comes out unclear. My son also has low tone in his tongue and cheeks but that has improved greatly with oral motor therapy (chewing on things and massage and having him try to move his tongue side to side and up and down for example).

We paid $1750 for an MRI that said "within normal range" on what looked like a ditto sheet! You can't see dysarthria on a brain scan apparently.

Speech therapy has been what has helped my son. We started when he was 2 1/2 and now he is 6yrs 10mos. We still have a ways to go but the cashier at Target understood him today!

[goobergrl6]

see that just confuses me. (Not saying I don't believe you....I am just all around confused LOL) They say it is caused by a brain injury or something not formed right in the brain so how do you not see it? UGH. I just wonder if there is something wrong with his brain and that would explain some of the other things he has going on... ugh I dunno!

[AuntLavender]

You can't see the wind

but it's there!

My sons geneticists said there may have been a vascular event during weeks 9-12 when I was pregnant with my son that caused his birth defects. I have a pregnancy book that says we are the size of a strawberry at 12 weeks. No one knows for sure. My son is the the first of his genetic mutation.

Don't research too much. in my experience it doesn't help as much as getting therapy and working with your child at home every. single. day..

Best wishes! A determined mother can do more for her child than many therapists ime.